In his lifetime the President enjoyed deep respect from people across the world for his great personality.

In June Juche 64 (1975) Kim Il Sung visited Bulgaria. Guided by the then first secretary of the C.C., the Bulgarian Communist Party, he toured a wheat field of a local farm.

Peeling off wheat spike, he asked the chief engineer of the farm how much fertilizer it applied per hectare.

Being told that the farm gave 80 kg of nitrogenous fertilizer per hectare, the President said the ripe wheat proved that the soil was very fertile.

When the first secretary said that the farming in his country had been badly affected by the cold front, the President told him that it was ascribable to iceberg in the Arctic zone. Then he introduced the farming methods applied in the DPRK, like introducing humus-potted maize seedlings and cold-bed rice seedlings, sowing the right crop on the right soil at the right time and improving swamps.

The first secretary expressed admiration at the President's ample knowledge of agriculture, saying that he seemed to be a veteran peasant.

The President told him that a state leader has to acquire rich knowledge of all fields in order to manage the state affairs.

The first secretary and officials of Bulgaria were deeply touched by his remarks.